The aerospace industry has always been synonymous with high standards of quality, safety, and dimensional precision. However, the increasing complexity of components, combined with pressure for shorter production deadlines and the need to reduce operational costs, has posed new challenges to traditional quality control methods. In this scenario, portable metrology emerges as a decisive solution, enabling an innovative approach known as "on the fly" quality. Instead of interrupting production to transport large components to metrology rooms equipped with fixed coordinate measuring machines (CMM), aerospace manufacturers are bringing measurement directly to the shop floor. This paradigm shift is transforming how quality is assured throughout the entire production process, making it more agile, efficient, and integrated.
Context and challenge
Components such as wings, fuselages, internal structures, and engine casings feature complex geometries, large dimensions, and extremely tight tolerances. Historically, inspecting these elements involved transporting bulky parts to climate-controlled rooms, long production stoppages, risk of damage during handling, and delays in detecting dimensional deviations. This traditional model not only increased operational costs but also limited the ability to respond quickly to manufacturing errors, often detected only at an advanced stage of the process, when rework or scrap already represented significant losses.
The solution or technology
With portable metrology, measuring, inspecting, and validating components becomes possible directly at the location where they are being manufactured or assembled, without the need for disassembly or relocation. In this way, quality ceases to be a final stage and becomes continuously integrated into the production process. Current portable solutions offer precision levels fully compatible with the rigorous standards of the aerospace industry, while simultaneously maintaining the flexibility necessary to operate in real industrial environments, outside climate-controlled laboratories. Several technologies have been gaining prominence in the aerospace sector: Laser Trackers are suitable for large-volume measurements, allowing alignment, positioning, and verification of large structures such as wings and fuselages. With high range and micrometric precision, they are fundamental in assembly operations and fine adjustment directly on the shop floor. Portable Measuring Arms (Portable CMM) are widely used alongside CNC machines, enabling immediate measurement of holes, surfaces, profiles, and fittings. This capability allows correction of deviations in real time, before the part advances to the next stage of the production process. Optical and 3D Scanning Systems are non-contact technologies that allow rapid capture of millions of points, generating detailed digital models. These data facilitate comparison with CAD models, inspection of complex surfaces, and analysis of structural deformations.
Industrial applications
In a sector where every millimeter counts and any error can result in high costs or critical delays, portable metrology presents itself as a decisive competitive advantage. Measuring at the right time and in the right place improves decision-making, reduces waste, and contributes to more efficient and sustainable processes. Rather than replacing fixed CMMs, these technologies complement traditional systems, creating a more agile, intelligent measurement ecosystem adapted to the current demands of the aerospace industry.
Results and benefits
The adoption of portable metrology brings clear and measurable benefits for aerospace manufacturers: significant reduction in inspection time, accelerating production cycles; decrease in rework and scrap by identifying problems at the source; reduced dependence on fixed infrastructure, increasing operational flexibility; greater traceability, with digital data automatically recorded; better integration with Industry 4.0 concepts, including digital twins and advanced data analysis. By enabling frequent measurements throughout production, these solutions increase confidence in the dimensional conformity of final parts and strengthen overall process control. As aerospace production evolves toward increasingly digital, connected, and integrated models, portable metrology consolidates itself as a key element of this transformation. The combination of mobility, precision, and real-time data is redefining the concept of quality, making it continuous, preventive, and strategic. The so-called "on the fly quality" thus ceases to be merely a trend and establishes itself as a new industrial standard, essential for ensuring safety, performance, and competitiveness in an increasingly demanding global market.